chief executive

American  

[cheef ig-zek-yuh-tiv] / ˈtʃif ɪgˈzɛk jə tɪv /

noun

• chief executives
  plural

1. the president of the United States.

   the powers of the chief executive, as granted by the Constitution.

2. the governor of a U.S. state.

   the newly elected chief executive of Rhode Island.

3. the head of a government.

   a conference attended by all the European chief executives.

4. Also called chief executive officer. the head of an organization, company, etc..

   the chief executive of a media corporation.

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chief executive British  

noun

1. the person with overall responsibility for the efficient running of a company, organization, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chief executives
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of chief executive

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chief executive

NWT chief executive Mike Pratt said the campaign had been "remarkable".

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

"These are dynamic times with volatility and disruption to trade flows continuing to define energy markets," said O'Neill, who took over as chief executive in April.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

“I wasn’t trying to grow, but the opportunity was put on the table,” said John Jauregui, the 70-year-old chief executive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

“Grocery is one of the hardest things to get right online,” said DoorDash co-founder and chief executive Tony Xu in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

She is like a cross between the chief executive officer of the world’s largest corporation and the chief executive officer of the world’s second largest corporation.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe

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